How to Fix the Giants' Offensive Line

The Giants offensive line is still very much a work in progress, with needs at both tackle and center. Here are a few different ways general manager Dave Gettleman can address those needs.

When a team is coming off a 4-12 season and has a new coaching staff, there's a LOT of work to be done.

Such is the case of the Giants, where this year more so than ever before, general manager Dave Gettleman is going to earn his salary as he and his team try to figure out the best ways to address the glaring needs this roster has.

We can debate what the most significant need on the Giants is, but in my mind, it has to be the offensive line, a project Gettleman has been trying to fix every season since he joined the Giants' front office.

Although the numbers don't necessarily reflect it, last year's edition was a little better than the prior year's edition.

That doesn't mean that the Giants should rest on their laurels and stick with that version of the offensive line.

"The bottom line is, last time I checked, it's really difficult to complete a pass when you're on your back," general manager Dave Gettleman said. "I've done that study. The bottom line is, it's the front. You need to give the young kids a front that allows him to learn how to play the game."

That was a big problem for the Giants offense last year as Daniel Jones, in trying to learn the pro game, didn't exactly make lightning-fast decisions under center, a reason for which was his protection.

According to PFF, the Giants pass-blocking efficiency, which measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed, was 81.4, 23rd out of 32 NFL teams, and his average time in the pocket was 2.84 seconds.

Yes part of the problem was Jones' holding onto the ball too long at times, but there were also instances where the offensive line didn't live up to its end of the deal--per PFF's "time in pocket" averages, Jones averaged 3.12 seconds before he was sacked (fourth highest average out of the 27 NFL quarterbacks who took at least 50% of their team's snaps;

The two most significant spots on the offensive line that need to be addressed are offensive tackle and center. Let's break each one down.

Offensive Tackle

Why it's a need

Mike Remmers, last year's starting right tackle, is set to hit free agency while Nate Solder, last year's starting left tackle, is looking to rebound from a disappointing year for him.

At best, Solder probably has one more year as a Giant as to cut him now would be cap suicide--remember, since the league still technically remains in the final league year of the current CBA, there is no post-June 1 cap designation.

This means that if the Giants were to cut Solder, their highest cap hit for 2020 this year, they're looking at a $13 million dead money cap hit.

The rest of the depth at offensive tackle doesn't exactly inspire much confidence. There is second-year man George Asafo -Adjei, last year's seventh-round draft pick who spent the entire season away from the team on injured reserve.

He'll probably get a chance to compete this year, but he's still very much the same project this year that he was last year up until his concussion robbed him of his first NFL season.

Then there is Nick Gates, who played tackle and guard last year for the Giants and held his own at both spots. Gates was a college left tackle at Nebraska, but in the pros, he has always projected better inside at guard, and I can't see that changing unless the Giants find themselves in a bind this year at filling the offensive tackle position.

Eric Smith, acquired off waivers from the Jets last year, was mostly inactive for the Giants as was Chad Slade, who made the roster out of training camp last year.

Both players were tendered a one-year minimum contract ($660,000) with no guaranteed money and will get a chance to compete for a roster spot this year.

The plan to address it

The Giants cannot nor should not expect to be drafting in the top-10 every year, let alone the top-5. Seeing that they have been in the top 10 the last two drafts, they've acquired a franchise running back and a franchise quarterback who will hopefully give them at least a decade of solid ball.

That can't happen though unless the Giants put a strong offensive line in front of them. They have a pair of solid guards in Will Hernandez and Kevin Zeitler, but they desperately need to address offensive tackle, a position they haven't addressed with a first-round pick since they badly reached for Ereck Flowers in 2015.

This year's offensive tackle class is as strong as any in recent memory. Not only that, the draft right now is shaping up to where the Giants could still conceivably trade down a few spots and not only get extra picks but their stud offensive tackle that they've lacked for years.

One such player they might be able to get in the first round even after a trade down is Louisville's Mekhi Becton, who at 6-foot 7 and 364 pounds more than meets the Dave Gettleman Hog Molly mandates.

But size isn't all that Becton brings to the table. He offers great length which enables him to swallow up pass rushers, and he's a mauler in the run game who plays with an attitude--he told reporters at the combine that, "It’s just fun seeing a man on the ground every play and then going to jump on him. That’s what I love about the game."

When Becton punches, he delivers a pop with those powerful hands. And his athleticism for a big man is off-the-charts as is his ability to fire out to the second level to block in space.

If there's a flaw to Becton's game, it's his pad level, which is inconsistent, but that's certainly something that can be coached. There is also a matter of his weight--Becton told reporters at the combine that teams want him to get down to around the 350-355 mark at the next level, something he said he'd be willing to do.

In addition to drafting Becton, the Giants will likely add a veteran offensive tackle to provide depth at both spots. Veteran Jared Veldheer, who has experience at both tackles, could be an affordable option.

Last season the 32-year-old changed his mind after retiring and signed with the Packers for a $1.5 million base salary and a per-game roster bonus of $78,125 ($1.25 million total).

If the Giants prefer to go younger, perhaps a look at D.J. Humphries, 6-foot 5, 307 pounds, of the Cardinals might be in store. The 26-year-old Humphries is a Cardinals' 2015 first-round pick who never really lived up to his draft status, becoming the only first-round draft pick in his draft class to be inactive for his entire rookie season.

Humphries also has experience playing both tackle spots. If the Giants were to bring him on board and unlock that first-round draft pedigree, they could find themselves in good shape after this season when it's likely that they will move on from Nate Solder.

What about Jack Conklin?

The Titans declined to pick up Jack Conklin's option year in his rookie deal, a decision that might have been partially due to a pair of knee injuries Conklin suffered, the first in a postseason game in 2017 (torn ACL) and the second another knee injury that didn't require surgery toward the end of the 2018 season.

Last year Conklin was healthy, but per Pro Football Focus, he allowed a career-high 33 pressures, though to be fair, it's unknown if his knee injury suffered at the end of 2018 spilled into the start of 2019.

That must be considered when determining if the 25-year-old Conklin is worth a contract that Spotrac estimates to be in the neighborhood of $15 million per year, based on a six-year, $90,163,388 contract. 

Or, would they get more bang for their buck by dipping into the draft class on a player with less tread on his tires and supplementing the position with a lower-cost veteran option.

Center

Why it's a need

Even if Jon Halapio hadn't ended his 2019 season with a torn Achilles, the Giants probably would have upgrading the starting center position at or near the top of their to-do list after perhaps seeing the offensive line's interior getting pushed backward one too many times.

Not all of that is Halapio's fault, but it doesn't help that, per Pro Football Focus, Halapio was tied with Minnesota's Garrett Bradbury for the sixth most pressures allowed by a center last year (26).

Halapio, who, by the way, is coming off his second significant lower-body injury in as many seasons, might not be ready for the start of training camp.

The plan to address it

People seem to forget about Spencer Pulley, who last year signed a three-year, $8.025 million contract and who this year has a rather affordable $2.75 million cap hit if he plays in all 16 games.

Yet when it comes to discussion about what the Giants might do at center, Pulley's name is constantly left out of the conversation.

To be clear, he's probably not the long-term answer, and his presence on the roster doesn't mean that the Giants shouldn't consider drafting a player at this position. But the problem right now is that the Giants have one draft pick on Day 2, that being their own second-round pick (they are projected to get a third-round comp pick for safety Landon Collins, but the comp picks haven't yet been announced).

This means that even if the Giants were to draft a center, the odds of that kid being a Day 1 starter wouldn't be very high, nor should it, especially if the plan is to start a rookie at tackle.

It makes sense to let Pulley compete for the starting center job this year--that doesn't mean that if he wins it, he has to finish the season as the starter as remember he has a per-game roster bonus as part of his contract. Doing so would allow a rookie center such as perhaps Lloyd Cushenberry III of LSU time to develop at the pro level to where when the time was right, he could step in.

What about Nick Gates?

Based on his play last year, Nick Gates deserves a chance to compete for a starting role. And while he told me last year that he spent time learning the center position--Pulley was his mentor--at 6-foot 6, the concern with Gates at center would be his pad level.

Gates' best fit, to my eye at least, is at guard, though he's versatile enough to play anywhere on the offensive line. It's not known if the coaching staff views him as a potential starter, so that's something we'll have to wait to see.